


A Dalliance of Red and White

by Blueberrysoup



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate History, Alternate Universe - 1920s, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:48:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29026731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueberrysoup/pseuds/Blueberrysoup
Summary: The United States split up in 1860 into dozens of independent republics. One of them, Illinois, is undergoing intense political strife in the present year, 1926. Its leading party has split over the issue of the country coronating its first Emperor, Jonah Montreal, forcing Madeline Sawyer, a party envoy from the ruling Socialist Labor Party to regularly negotiate with Montreal, the new de facto leader of the Federalist Party, a social-democratic party that, while sharing many values of the SLP, was forged in its support of Montreal's rise as an Emperor inspired by the likes of Napoleon Bonaparte. Inspired by the Victoria 2 modification:Divided We Stand
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 2





	A Dalliance of Red and White

  


He moved to stand beside her, the two overlooking a small slice of downtown Springfield through the window in his office. The Capitol building shining in the sun only a few blocks away. It was odd to them, that just a few months ago, the last President of Illinois was shot dead in those halls. The dominoes that started falling that day set the dressing of the delicate stage they shared. His crown equally as poignant.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the aftermath of the slavery debate, which was long as it was divisive, the United States of America finally splintered following the election of 1860. South Carolinian secession was enough to break the entire country apart. With no Federal means to curtail it, the breakup was peaceful, if revolutionary as the fires that forged the nation itself. From the California Republic to Empire State, to Cascadia and Texas, the United States was divided at its seams, with Washington D.C. itself being incorporated into the new independent State of Maryland, ending the United States’ official existence. With recoiling effects throughout British North America in Canada, and the United Mexican States south of the Rio Grande, North America stood divided like never before, with independence being spread from sea to shining sea.  
  
But the year is now 1926, and Illinois has seen itself becoming the first ever former American state to replace its republican governance with that of an Imperial monarchy. Since the 1886 election, the _United Counties of Illinois_ had been dominated by the _Socialist Labor Party_ , a broadly left-leaning political faction that has not only brought massive amounts of industrial development and immigration to Illinois, as a bastion of reform and social progress, but, over its 40-year run of domination, a toxic political complacency.  
In 1926, fascist Silvershirts, inspired by similar movements in Italy and Russia, and under the banner of the _Illinois Nativist Bloc_ , organized a march on Springfield, the capital. However, anti-fascists, led by a 26-year old graduate student named Jonah Montreal, fought off INB on the streets. Despite their efforts, the President of Illinois, who was meeting in the Capitol building, was found, rushed, and shot, by a Silvershirt. With minimal political precedent to define complex succession, as with the now dead President having had lacked a Vice President before he passed, Montreal was offered political power by members of the legislative _Illinois General Assembly_. Inspired by the likes of Napoléon Bonaparte, Montreal offered strong, semi-constitutional imperial rule, as a means to combat the rising threat of Silvershirts and economic depression. A member of the SLP himself, Montreal hoped to get the party’s official support, though to no avail, with many hardliners within the SLP seeing monarchy as a stain upon the values of republicanism that the country was founded upon.  
However, the SLP was by no means a singular voice. Social Democrats and Social Liberals within the party, who shared its social and economic values, but not to its deepest Marxian implications, split from the SLP to vote in favor of Montreal becoming the new Emperor of Illinois. When the two chambers of the Illinois legislature held an official vote, the smaller _Republican_ and _Democratic_ Parties voted in favor of Montreal as an attempt to dislodge the SLP’s control over the party politics.  
  
The aftermath was disastrous for the SLP, 28 of its 60 members in the House voted in favor of Montreal, and 14 of its 32 in the Senate. Combined with the support by smaller parties, Jonah Montreal became Emperor, and was coronated on January 25th, 1926.  
Immediately, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Adam Cliffe, called for the SLP to eject and ban the 42 members of its party that voted to end the Republic. The rift was instantaneous, and the aftermath saw the creation of a new political party, which, while loyal to most political ideals of the SLP, contrariwise, consented to Monarchy. The _Federalist Party_ was born, and, with Montreal as its de facto head, split the Illinois legislature for the first time since 1886.  
  
As the dust settled, the Socialist Labor Party, despite still holding the largest share of seats - maintaining pluralities in both the House and the Senate - lacked working majorities in either for the first time in decades. With this newfound inhibition, the SLP hurried to send some form of personal envoy to the Federalists to thaw their divide. This would fall to the party _plenipotentiary_ , shortened as the pleni. Nominally, the pleni, occupied by 22 year old party intern Madeline Sawyer, was wholly immaterial within party politics; In December 1925, it was a dead-end within the SLP. Yet, by the end of January 1926, it was fast evolving into one of the most integral roles within partisan relations. No longer the unmatched kingmaker, the SLP was on its back foot and had to compete in a totally different arena than it was ever used to.  
  
Like the now dead United States, the cause and word of left-leaning politics in the new _Empire of Illinois_ stood divided as shredded shards of glass. Montreal and Sawyer, whose politics ebb and flow in similarity, are now at the epicenter of the future of Illinoisan polity and political functionality. And with it, the very future of the Midwest.  
A unique dalliance of red and white is on the horizon.

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“I guess changing your mind just wasn’t on my schedule.” He snarked, leaning on the frame of the window.  
  
“At least you’ve been far more cooperative about the Indiana matter.” She replied, looking down to see at least one Cornelius Model-T being driven in the gray streets.  
  
  
“Well, I’m just happy they were able to wise up when we sent Black in to mop up.”  
  
  
“Yeah, Christ. I can’t believe I’m finding myself agreeing so often with you about much.” She replied, a darker tone in her voice. “I mean, obviously, I get with stuff this.” She said, turning back to look at him.  
  
“Yeah, I know.” He said turning to face her. “What they were doing in the outskirts of Evansville and all. I’m just glad you stood by my actions and decisions then, that shit is so abhorrent, it would have been criminal for us not to have stood idly by. Was there really widespread opposition in the SLP?” He asked her, concern painting his face.  
She looked down, exhaled shook her head, and looked back at him.  


“There…was. Much as I pain to admit it. Not opposition to joining the war as much as it was voting on legislation that the Federalists were in favor of. Something of an obligation to the Republic and a stance against your reign as Emperor, that’s why even some SLP members from Rockford voted against the thing, despite how jingoistic they’ve been since we sent the Northwest Command to Wisconsin.”  
  
He winced as he took a deep breath before shaking his head.  
  
  
“Thank you again for managing to get the members you did on board, Maddie. It was just enough in Chicago and Carbondale to give me the whole legislative mandate thing to intervene in Indiana.”  
  
She chuckled to herself as she smiled and turned to face him.  
  
“What? I might be a staunch republican but I’m not going to let those fascists do that in Indiana. If only there was someone like you when the Klan marched on Indianapolis a few years ago. God, I can’t imagine we didn’t see this coming sooner.”  
  
He smirked back, a dryness to his wit growing more noticeable.  
“Oh, I thought you abhorred the idea of a coup through stardom? Is that not what you described my rise to?”  
  
  
“Not what I meant, Jonah. Maybe in my perfect world, the Indiana Klan isn’t stopped by a wannabe Napoleon who becomes Emperor afterwards, but a good, republican citizen who defends their republic over their egotistical power fantasies.”  


  


Jonah scoffed to himself.  
  
“I don’t know about you, but you’re still the pleni, and I’m still the Emperor you have to deal with. Not much in the way of power fantasies as much in the vein of realpolitik.” He moved back to his desk and took a sip of what had to be cold cup of black coffee. “Either way, maybe a good Emperor could do their country some good in fighting off their hooded repugnancy, it’s sure doing this one fine.” He took his seat at his desk as she rolled her eyes and moved to face him.  
  
Despite every argument the two had about whether Illinois should return to the traditions of American republicanism, they enjoyed each other as sparring partners.  
  
“Maybe a good President who was elected by the people would serve as a better bulwark against the Klan. Imagine a leader appointed by the will of the people, rather than the might of his rifle. That through him, the ideas opposing the Klan are emblematic not just of the Presidency he commands, but of the millions who chose him.”  
  
He gave her a shit-eating grin.  
  
“Oh, you mean the one that rolled the fuck over and let them burn a cross in the middle of Indianapolis?”  
  
She chortled to herself against her better judgement. Goddamn did she hate it when he was right.  
  
“Okay, maybe President Jackson was more than a little bit in bed with the Klan, but…” She exhaled and shook her head. “Fffffine. You win. Maybe if there was another dashing guy on a horse with a group of irregulars swinging around pitchforks and revolvers to show the Klan they’re as pasty as the robes they make out of pillow-sheets, Indiana wouldn’t have tried to establish penal labor camps for immigrants. And, just maybe, the Imperial Guard of a certain big neighbor wouldn’t have to sack Danville and Indianapolis to get them to knock it off.” A hint of satire to her undertone.  
  
“Oh, I’m dashing now?” He stood up from his desk, coffee cup in hand, returning to stand by the window.  
  
She smirked at him behind a miffed face.  
  
“Maybe a little bit.”

  



End file.
